Read Online Dragon Her Back (Entangled Covet) by Susannah Scott - Free Book Online Page B

years.
    “Where are you planning on going?” Jane came to stand next to her but didn’t hinder her sorting.
    “I don’t know.” Mei’s voice broke with emotion, surprising her. She glanced over her shoulder at Jane and shook her head.
    “Let me help you.”
    “Okay.” Mei nodded at the bookshelf. “Pull the rest of the books out and pile them on the floor.”
    “Not exactly what I was talking about, but okay.” Jane came to her knees and pulled the remaining volumes from the bottom shelves. “Whatever has you so upset, you know there’s a good chance I can help you.”
    She wasn’t talking about the books.
    “Will you donate all these for me?” She was sad to leave her collection behind, but there was no way she could take them with her. Water dragons were poor fliers. Even if she boxed them all up, she’d have trouble carrying them, and they’d never survive the water.
    “No,” Jane said. “But I’ll keep them here for you.”
    “Really?” Mei looked at Jane’s profile, surprised. “They take up a lot of room.”
    “It’s the least of what I’d do for you.” She met her gaze and smiled.
    Jane was a marvel, as a person and a friend. A lump tightened Mei’s throat, and she fought to contain the tears that flooded her eyes. She’d miss Jane. And she would miss Tee, too.
    “Thank you.”
    Jane nodded. “You know, people ask me all the time how we can be friends.”
    “You and me?” Dragons had a hard time making friends outside their elemental divisions. It was one of the reasons peace had been so hard to come by in the kingdom. Fire dragons bristled around ice dragons, and storm dragons prickled around fire dragons.
    Some shifters didn’t think storm dragons, like Jane, were as powerful as the ice and fire dragons. However, a storm dragon could whip up a mean wind, and some could even call lightning and thunder. They weren’t able to laser point their power on an enemy, though— hence their weaker slot on the dragon pecking order.
    Mei always thought it was lucky that the more volatile ice and fire extremes had the storm dragons to sneer at. Surely, if they only had each other, their rivalry wouldn’t end until they were both eliminated.
    As it was, none of the dragons were dispositioned toward friendship, but somehow, Alec and his lieutenants had managed to forge a trust that benefited them all. Without the rule of the king, they would still be fighting. The only thing they all universally agreed on: water dragons were awful creatures who deserved what they got. Death.
    “You and Tee,” Jane answered. “They really don’t understand us having a human friend.”
    Mei had heard similar judgey comments about Tee, but never about her and Jane. Guess everyone just figured it was a miracle Jane could live with her at all. “I’ve never been well liked.”
    “You don’t try,” Jane said. “If people really knew you, they would love you like we do.”
    She wished that were true, but even Jane would despise her if she knew the truth. Just like Darius. The hurt resurfaced, and she refocused on the book in her hand. A Dale Carnegie Book, How to Win Friends and Influence People . It was underlined and highlighted, dog-eared on important chapters.
    “But you don’t have to leave here,” Jane said, breaking her fond memories of the book that helped her become a successful casino hostess.
    Mei shook her head. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t, endanger Jane with the truth of the water dragons. “It’s better that you don’t know any more.”
    From her knees, Jane frowned, but rather than pushing, she changed the subject. “How do you want to put these back?”
    “The A’s at the top left.”
    Diligently, Jane picked up the A pile and shuffled the books to the top left shelf. Mei stood beside her and shelved the Book of Dragons at the end of the A’s.
    Mei stood back and surveyed the neat rows growing halfway down the shelves under Jane’s hands. She aligned the edges so they were